Shi Rudo
by forteryk
Summary: Naruto is raised by an elite organization from the age of one. Eventually he is reunited with his home village, but an evil worse than Akatsuki or Orochimaru reveals itself, and Naruto is left to reright all the problems that arise. NarutoXGirl
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.

**Shi-Rudo Chapter 1**

The rooftop was, by all measures, plain. It was missing a few shingles and would likely be described with words such as shabby or run-down. It was made distinctive only by the figure, barely outlined, on top of it. If the moon had been out, or it had simply been in the day, her loose brown hair would have been seen slightly covering her face. Her eyes were a regular brown, not very distinguished at the first glance, but they did hold an understanding and care when peered into. She was much like the rooftop, plain. However, nobody would use word such as shabby or run-down to describe her for two reasons. The first was that she was not, she held an unusual attraction about her that could only be felt and seen, not identified directly by any particular feature. The other was much more simple, whoever did would find themselves in incredible amounts of pain before they could say, "Sorry."

Said woman was looking into an apartment window, belonging to a building three rooftops away. She was at this distance to avoid the detection of masked person only one rooftop away from the apartment. But back to the apartment. If the rooftop was said to be shabby and run-down, any person would be hard-pressed to come up with the word to accurately describe the apartment. That person would have to use words like despicable and filthy. The window that she was gazing through was broken, as though it had been smashed, which it likely had, and had no curtains to keep out anything. The walls were bare, devoid of any paint, with several stains ranging from food to less appropriate things. The floors had dirt scattered about and probably more stains than the walls, though they were in close competition. It consisted of two rooms, one all purpose room containing both the bedroom and the kitchen. The other room was a bathroom, barely big enough for shower, sink, and toilet that it contained. The "bedroom" did not house a bed though, it had a mat, which was as soft as concrete and as smooth as it as well.

Of course the apartment was not the important thing, after all, who wastes time looking into empty apartment. The apartment had one singular inhabitant, a child whose age could match the number of people who lived there. He had no parents and no guardians. Normally a child in a condition such as his would live in an orphanage, but none of the ones in the village would take him in out of fear of what he would do to the other children. He did nothing to deserve this fear, it was only a matter of ignorance on the part of the majority of the population in the village. The child managed to survive due to the village's Hokage, he paid, remarkably well, a woman to care for the child. Simple visits a few times a day to assure that the child would survive was all that she was willing to do. The short five minute visits left her shaken, showing her complete fear for the small, harmless, child.

The woman on the rooftop observed this with disgust. She could not stand the stupidity of the attitude the people held to the child. She could not understand how someone could not adore his untamed blond hair, or the look of his fair blue eyes which radiated warmth all around him. Most young children could be described as cute, but this child was far more than that. Despite all the troubles that beset him at such a young age, the child did not cry. He had accepted his condition and pushed through it, as best he was able at his age. It was a testament to strength he would have later in life, that was one thing that this woman was sure of.

A man appeared next to the woman as silent as the wind on a still day. According to most standards he was attractive. He was different from the woman in that you could pinpoint the basis of his looks. His face was hardened, and he had a rough look about him. Everything about him screamed fierce, except for his eyes, which were soft and intelligent, the color green. His hair was like the child's, rowdy and blond. He began to speak in a voice so quiet that only people with the most trained ear could hear, which, albeit, was much of the village; however, since nobody was observing the two, this fact mattered little.

"Kea," he whispered.

"Ryoku," she replied.

"Anything worth noting?"

"He certainly won't be missed in this village," she said bitterly. "But he'll be strong. He has this look about him, it's almost as though the whole world could be against him and he'd rise above them all and triumph."

"Hmm, interesting. Nothing else?"

"I've been analyzing his chakra of course, though its been hard from this distance. It turns out that he has more than the average shinobi, a testament to how much he'll have later. He also knows three words."

"Which are?"

"His surname Uzumaki, his given name Naruto, and," she paused, "demon."

"Tch," he said, disgusted.

"Did you look at the detailed report yet?" Kea asked.

"Yeah, it turns out he's not just the container of a demon, he's the son of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina."

"Talk about a martyr."

"The father?"

"Who else? Not only does he give up his life to protect his village, but he gives up his son to seal the rest. Ironic how they repay him, no?"

"Yeah, but what can you expect? These people are too blinded by their own loss to care about their actions or the loss of others. They don't know he's his kid though. I'm not even sure if the Third knows."

"Even more ironic; the son of the greatest Hokage is forgotten and brushed aside."

They were both temporarily distracted by the slight shifting of the masked ANBU member.

Ryoku continued, "The Namikaze was amazing. They say that he was on par with even the best of us. Several of the techniques in our library were made by him, not to mention the tons of information that he compiled on seals. It's surprising he wasn't recruited into our organization."

"Perhaps it was decided that he would develop better outside of Shi-Rudo. It wouldn't be the first time to happen. That's what was decided for two of this village's Legendary Sannin."

"What about the third?"

"It was Orochimaru. Sousui-sama decided that he was too much of a risk with his attitude; I'd reckon that he was right."

"I'll say. When are we taking him?" he asked.

"Soon. The ANBU guard will be changing in another few moments."

He nodded. Hogosha Kea and Hogosha Ryoku sat in silence for the remaining minutes watching the guard, waiting for him to move. The guard, of course, was on orders from the Hokage to protect the small child, though he liked to believe it was the other way around. He felt he was protecting the people from the child. Most of the ANBU held this attitude about the kid. At precisely one o'clock he stood up and dashed away at intense speeds. Fortunately for the two Shi-Rudo members, the next guard for ANBU had a habit of being late.

They dashed next to the window in one leap. With chakra in each feet and in one hand they connected to the wall, standing parallel to it.

"Remember," Ryoku said, "We need to only temporarily disable the alarm. It has to trigger on our way out. This can't seem like a professional job, it can only look like average ninja did this."

"I know," she said. She began adding seals to the main one guarding the window. They would trigger in thirty seconds, disappearing permanently while simultaneously setting off the alarm. As soon as she finished they both jumped into the room. In two seconds Ryoku was holding the sleeping child; in another one they were both out the window. By the time the alarm sounded another twenty seconds later they were already a good distance outside of the village.

Hatake Kakashi, the ANBU who was supposed to be guarding the child, was at the memorial stone. There were three names there that he cared about. His hair was a strange mix between gray and silver, and seemingly defied gravity. His forehead protector was tilted, covering his left eye from view. A cloth mask coming out of his shirt covered up to the bridge of his nose. He sighed, and then walked away from the stone and to his current charge. It was right at this time that the alarm connected to all assigned guards went off. At this point he used his favorite cuss word.

"Fuck!"

He pushed energy into his legs, running at break-neck speeds, to all who weren't ninja at least. A turn, a jump, and a dash, and he was there. Whoever had done this was certainly a ninja he evaluated. The window was not broken, and was in fact left in its normal state, the seal undisturbed. Based upon this he determined that they must not have known of the alarm seal, and only tried to protect the obvious. Kakashi wasted no time in summoning his nin-dogs, which was the exact time that two ANBU teams arrived. Noting the dogs and lack of child, they prepared to execute a pursuit.

"Based upon the smell there were two people in this room aside from the kid," one of the dogs declared, right as the final person arrived, the village leader, the Hokage, himself.

"Kakashi," he asked sternly, "What happened?"

"Currently declared abducted. Pursuit about to proceed." With this he looked toward the dog.

"They left a trail," the dog continued, "let's go."

The group rushed across the village well-known to them all, Konoha, and eventually crossed the high walls. They came to a spot in the woods where the dogs stopped.

"Here." he declared.

The scene that they saw horrified them. Blood was splashed across the trees and forest floor. A few body parts lay strewn about, only adding to the unsettling seen. Even the hard-stomached ANBU were feeling disturbed by the scene.

Once again looking toward the dogs, Kakashi asked, "Can you pick anyone out?"

"They cleared their scent here. No further trail can be picked up. If I smelled them again I could identify them, but that would have to be in a closed environment, without too many other scents distracting me. Chances are my nose won't be to pick them up."

The silver-haired ANBU sighed, "Hokage?" he asked.

"It's possible that the child killed them and this is their remains. There is no telling what the power of his beast is. Conduct a full-scale search in the morning. It is far to dark now."

The Hokage held himself together very well during those short lines, very professional, very by-the-book about the whole business. Really he wanted to just scream and destroy, to find out who did this, to begin the search now. The child did not deserve the treatment that he got, but the Hokage couldn't do much of anything. The Fourth's one wish was that the child would be treated as a hero, it seemed that the exact opposite had happened. However, he composed himself; it would not be suitable for a village's leader to go rampant.

He left, letting the ANBU crew finish any sealing off of the area necessary to prevent tampering. He sighed. All he knew was this was going to be one hell of a problem to deal with.

Kea was wondering about something entirely different.

"Was it really necessary to do all that?"

"It was more realistic than anything. If you'd ever seen a jinchuuriki battle where the demon came out you wouldn't be so worried."

"I wasn't talking about that. I was talking about the fact that you used two Orochimaru's pawns to make the scene."

"Sousui-sama assigned me the mission to take them out, might as well put their bodies to good use. Besides, you're a trained kuonichi, you know just as well as I do that the more disturbing the scene the less anyone will want to be there, and the less they want to be there the fewer details they'll uncover."

Kea was silent as they continued the rest of the way on the long journey.


	2. Chapter 2

**Shi-Rudo Chapter 2**

"Sousui-sama, we have the child, Uzumaki Naruto."

The man whom they were speaking to was not young. In fact he looked fragile, as if he would break any moment. Everyone who knew him understood this was far from true. His hair was already grayed, which, coincidentally, was the same color as his eyes. His face was unyielding in any regard, but those who knew him better knew that he had several soft spots in his heart. Kashikoi Awai was the commander(Sousui) for the Shi-Rudo. Recruited at a young age he worked hard and was rewarded. The previous commander decided that his replacement could only be Awai. And here he was, with all the responsibilities of maintaining and controlling the Shi-Rudo, which may as well have been the whole continent; in truth, it was.

"Let me see him."

They handed over the young boy, which Awai took no time to begin examining. Poking around his face, looking at all the details that the child had. As he worked he muttered inaudible things to himself, likely just observations, though no one really knew. When he began the chakra analysis he let out a small murmur of excitement. Then he paused.

"Hmm," he began. At this point Ryoku was beginning to worry, as the commander only began things with hmm when he was thinking. And the commander thinking when someone was in his office meant that the previously said person was about to have some serious tasks laid upon them. Ryoku awaited the infamous rhetorical question that always followed his sounds of thought.

"Now we have another issue; what do we do with the child?"

'Bingo,' he thought. As soon as Ryoku realized what the rhetorical question actually was, he mentally cringed. Ryoku came to his senses, responded with a small shoulder shrug and grabbed Kea's arm, beginning to exit the room.

"Wait," Awai said, more as a statement than a command, but either way it had the same effect; they both stopped and turned. "I think you should take care of Naruto." Ryoku knew that he did more than think, and that rather than should, they would take care of him. At this point his thought process was finally getting to, 'How did we not realize this would happen when we took the mission? Stupid. Stupid. Stupid!' He was mentally bashing his head against a light-blue wall, with fluffy clouds painted on it.

Awai continued, "Besides, with Kea's condition you cannot have children yourselves."

Ryoku replied, "Yes, but we're both active ninja, how can you expect us to take care of a child with missions going on? Even further, what if we died on a mission? The kid would be right where he started, but with the pain of loss as well."

"I understand all that, and that's why each of you will only be given short and standard missions, nothing dangerous. Both of you will have time to spend with Naruto, and you won't have to worry about leaving a parentless child behind."

"Sousui, you know that neither of us wants to give up the missions that we are currently doing!" At this point, Ryoku was yelling. "We don't know anything about kids and neither of us is ready to take care of one! Besides, who else could complete the missions that we do?"

"Sometimes you can not worry about what you want, but instead you have to worry about the organization as a whole. Naruto is important to Shi-Rudo and he needs a family to take care of him, people who can take care of him. And perhaps instead of just speaking you should ask Kea's opinion on raising the child. Did you ever consider her feelings?"

Ryoku stopped. He turned to look at his wife, and all she could do was smile meekly. Then he realized; "You knew we were going to end up with Naruto? Why didn't you tell me you wanted kids?"

Kea paused, determining the best response. "I knew that you wouldn't want to, that you'd want to keep on doing the highly dangerous missions we have been doing. I don't think you realize how incredible having a child could be. At some point in time every woman wants have a child, to care for and love. As a ninja I knew that there was a chance that either one of us could die at any moment, and I would never get the chance. When Sousui said Shi-Rudo was taking another child, I jumped on it, since I wanted the chance."

Ryoku knew that she was right, but he wished she would have at least discussed it with him, though he wondered if that would have changed anything. He sighed. "When do we start taking care of him?"

Kea looked at Awai, "Sousui?"

"You'll start now. As soon as we can we'll have you moved into one of the family living buildings."

Ryoku nodded, half in acceptance, half in defeat. "Let me see him." Awai handed the child over. He looked at the child, examining everything, hardly believing that this child would be his son, and call him dad. Even though he was still upset and trying hard to keep the disappointment on his face, he couldn't help but give a slight smile at the sleeping child. "Let's go."

"Go ahead, I need to talk with Sousui real quick," Kea said.

"Alright," with that said he left the room, opening one of the double doors, and closing it lightly on his way out. When he was out of earshot, Kea turned to Awai. "Thanks."

"It's ok, I know how much you wanted to have a child. I'm just glad that he didn't cause too much trouble when he found out."

"So am I, I thought he would react more than that." She smiled, turned to leave. Once Kea reached the door she looked back and gave a nod, then she left. After a short time, she reached her home. It was plain, not very decorated. One large bedroom, a bathroom, a kitchen, and a living room was all that there was. All houses and buildings in the small city were owned by Shi-Rudo. Living one place or another was simply a matter of assignment. Kea's current home was assigned as a couple's apartment, for both of the Hogosha.

It had only been three years that she had lived there, but she wondered if she would miss it. There was a sense of home that she attached to the apartment due to memories and the feelings she had when there, the comfort that was connected to it. Comfort was rarely found in a ninja's life.

When Kea made her way to the bedroom, she found that Ryoku had already set up a sleeping space for Naruto, and that Naruto was awake finally. His eyes were wide, examining all the details of the room. Kea figured that it was likely that he was merely shocked by the fact that he was in a room that wasn't the epitome of dirty. Finally his large eyes landed upon her. She smiled sweetly at him.

Ryoku, kneeling behind Naruto, looked up at her. "Cute, isn't he?" he asked.

"Yeah," was all that she could manage to say, still captivated by baby Naruto.

"I don't really know what to say to him. I've never been good at this sort of thing."

"It's ok," she said, "we'll figure this out together."

The small child finally decided to speak; "Naruto," he said, introducing himself as best he was able.

Kea sat down next to him and said, "You can call me Mom."

Naruto looked at Ryoku, who, keeping his answer as short as Naruto's, said "Dad."

Naruto then tried as best he could, "Mm, da."

Ryoku turned back to Kea, smiling, "Let's get some rest. It's already six A.M., we're not going to be able to get much sleep, we have to be back up by ten." She nodded.

They each readied for bed, doing all the necessary things for sleep. Kea grabbed Naruto and put him into his makeshift bed, then kissed him gently on the forehead. She went next to Ryoku, and kissed him lightly. She smiled, and he smiled in return. This will be alright, he decided.

The next three years passed quickly. It was October 17th, a week after Naruto's fourth birthday. The trio had grown close over these years. Ryoku felt very much the father, and long gone were the days where it was odd to see Naruto as a son. His settled life didn't seem bad to him, he looked forward to when he had time to spend off with Naruto.

Kea was as happy as she could be. Sure, she would admit to herself, there were problems. However, they were all worth it for a child, especially one like Naruto, she decided. Kea had been right, having a child was incredible, both of the parents agreed on this.

On this particular day, which, by the way, was a very fine day, the family was in one of the few parks that Shi-Rudo's base contained. Kea was lying in the grass, watching her two boys running around chasing each other. Ryoku had just caught Naruto and was bringing him over to Kea when a stereotypical ninja came up to them.

"Hogosha Ryoku, Sousui-sama calls for your presence."

"It's my day off, this had better be important damn it."

"Language!" called out Kea.

"It's ok Mom, I already picked up most of the cuss words from other people. Nobody is particularly careful about watching their mouth." At the sound of this, Kea sighed.

"I'll be back as quick as I can." Ryoku said as he followed the ninja. He entered through the same double doors that had been there since Shi-Rudo's creation. His commander was sitting at his desk, eyes closed, looking almost peaceful. Though that was doubtful, anyone who ran the organization had an incredible amount on their mind. Ryoku remembered hearing the rumor that Awai had multiple thought processes, allowing him to process things far faster than any normal human could. However, it was more likely that he could simply think faster than most, and could solve problems at an amazing rate, Ryoku figured.

"Hogosha Ryoku is here, Sousui-sama."

The commander casually opened his eyes, allowing them to drift to Ryoku. "Sit down," he commanded.

"I'd rather not, I'm kind of in a hurry, Sousui-sama."

"Just sit down." He sat with a sigh held in his throat.

"Naruto will be enrolled in the academy starting next week, on Monday."

Ryoku stood up, quickly forgetting having just been told to sit down. "What? Naruto is four years old, and only just. He's not old enough to start school yet."

"How many four-year-olds you do you know that can form complete, grammatically correct, sentences? Naruto's intelligence is already starting to show through, and he will need to be prepared for the level of missions that he is given. The missions you got will look like kiddy-shit compared to the ones he will have at your age. He has more potential than any other ninja in this organization. He must be trained and developed."

"Then why can't he begin training when he is six, like most children? If he is intelligent enough, shouldn't the age not matter, since he will learn so quickly anyways?"

"If a normal child were put through the training in store for Naruto it would last twice as long as the normal academy run, two extra years is not a lot in comparison."

"But—"

"No, there aren't any buts. He was brought into this village for one reason. While he may be your son, he still must be trained in order for him to become just who we need. You cannot be selfish right now and think only of yourself. By being a part of Shi-Rudo, which ultimately was your own choice, you agreed to best serve the organization. Right now you will play your part by going along with this, but even should you try to leave Shi-Rudo in defiance, Naruto will start the academy, only without the support of his father. I do not like to be harsh, but this is how it must be."

Awai let that sit for a time, before continuing. "Between now and Monday I need you and Kea to come sign some papers."

Ryoku stood there, silent for a time. He could not defy the commander, that was certain. Though he was not pleased with what the commander had asked. With coldness in his voice, emphasizing each word he said, "Understood. I'll tell Kea and Naruto." He gave a very exaggerated, mocking, salute. As he left he slammed the commander's door.

Awai sighed as Ryoku left. He really wished that Ryoku would grow up and stop being so immature. Ryoku did have some rights to be upset the commander conceited, as he was being stripped of two years that he planned on having to be with Naruto. Academy in Shi-Rudo was not a typical ninja village's academy. Whereas in a regular academy the students went home at the end of the day, to see their parents, in Shi-Rudo students stayed at the academy in dorm rooms. It was to condition them to being and sleeping in uncomfortable situations, as well as to build teamwork skills. The only day that students were given free time was on Sundays, and they were given the choice of what to do. The could go around the grounds of school doing whatever, or return home for a few hours, before having to get back in time to meet curfew. It was a very strict lifestyle, but one that produced excellent shinobi.

Telling Kea about Naruto's enrollment went better that Ryoku had expected. She was upset, of course, but took it well, at least compared to Ryoku. She wondered why the commander had sent for Ryoku, when he would inevitably get angry and act like he was the same age as Naruto, when he could instead call for Kea who would take the order like a reasonable adult. In the end, she figured it was probably because the commander knew that Ryoku would get mad either way, and in the case of the latter he would show up unannounced in Awai's office.

Naruto was not emotionally tried by the news at all, of course he didn't fully understand the implications; none of them did really. He was just glad that he would get to grow up and be like his parents, who he thought were the two best people ever. They didn't realize just how much they meant to him. Though Naruto had no recollections of his past, he could remember a sense of pain and hopelessness before the duo came along. He was willing to do anything to make the two most important people to him proud or happy.

That didn't mean that he wasn't wondering why he was going to the academy at such a young age. He knew that the standard starting age was six and that it lasted until the child was twelve. His parents told him that he was going to be doing advanced training, but he knew better than to get overconfident about it. Naruto was well aware that he had almost no knowledge about the shinobi world that other children didn't have, so it wouldn't pay to get cocky about his age. Nobody liked a pompous ass.

The days passed quickly in preparation for Naruto's schooling. Getting all the supplies and materials that he would need took time. The day of schooling finally arrived. Naruto's parents woke him up early. They had a solemn breakfast of eggs and toast. Naruto tried to lighten the mood, but his parents didn't seem that interested. Both parents walked him to school on the clear, cloudless, day. It was only two streets, away, but it would be another week before they would see him again, and both Kea and Ryoku wanted to see him off to school.

The academy was a large building, forming the perimeter of a square, which the parents knew was used for training. Of course the academy also controlled a large plot of land around the building to give students special training in different areas. Immediately after entering they found two shinobi teachers. One was responsible for collecting the children that entered and delivering them, the other was to hold off parents. Naruto moved to walk forward, but his parents stopped him.

He looked up at them, and in a confident voice said, "It'll be ok, I swear." Both Ryoku and Kea smiled at Naruto. He was so strong, and had told them what they were supposed to be telling him. They let him pass through. He turned his head, gave a small smile, and waved.


	3. Chapter 3

**Shi-Rudo Chapter 3**

The other children scoffed at Naruto's size. The bolder ones asked him his age; at the sound of the response they laughed even more. Naruto wasn't worried though, just as he knew not to overestimate himself, he also knew not to underestimate himself. There was a reason he was in the academy at four, and that was all that he needed to know.

Naruto found that the academy was just like the rest of the village, plain. It was in standard Japanese architecture, at least from what he could tell, and could just as easily be a house as it could be a school. The only thing that set it apart was its enormous size. The guide walked them through several halls, which were all very long. After what seemed to be ages, the group reached a set of stairs, which the instructor lead them up.

Immediately he announced, "This section of the second floor is your living area. All of your rooms are located here and there is one common room. Each living area on the second floor can only be accessed through the first floor, and they do not connect, so I hope you were paying attention to how we got here."

The guide continued leading them, now down the second floor hall. He periodically stopped at rooms, calling out the names of four students. They would be deposited into a room, and he told them all the same thing, "Here are your sleeping quarters. There are no comforts and this room will be clean, you will have to maintain it. This group will be your team, with these students you will act as a squad. Most of the testing will be done in teams, so learn to work together or fail. An instructor will come by at 0830 to take you to orientation."

The remaining students followed the teacher to the next room. "Dekai Gouzen! Eigo Inkei! Hogosha Naruto! Mikata Sonkei!"

The four students filed into the room as their names were called. Naruto mentally mimicked the mans words as he repeated, once more, his speech to the students. Naruto moved to put his stuff by the bed, even though it was really just a mat lying on the ground, furthest from the door. He was stopped, however, by Gouzen. Gouzen wasn't exactly what the average six-year-old would call small, and that's not even getting to four-year-olds. If Naruto were to describe him, the first word he would use would be animal. Gouzen had shaggy black hair, a rough looking face, as though he had already been in his fair share of fist fights, and well built considering his age.

Needless to say, Naruto thought it would be wise to just let him have it for two reasons. The first was clearly obvious, he didn't want to have his face kicked-in. The second was that if testing was done with teams, he didn't want to have unnecessary conflicts. Two of the kids, Gouzen and Inkei, already seemed upset that they were "stuck" with Naruto. It wouldn't be wise to make matters worse.

Inkei could best be described as a parasite. He wasn't special in appearances in any way. Average size, crew-cut brown hair, hazel eyes, and a plain face. Nothing distinctive. Inkei was good at making the right friends though, at least in his eyes. He praised those who were bigger than him, constantly agreeing with their opinion. He picked on those smaller than him, which earned him some respect in the eyes of those he latched on to. Inkei was all about manipulating people, and he did it with skill. He moved to one of the other beds away from the door.

The final person in the room was Sonkei, a relatively attractive girl. Not that it mattered to Naruto as his age, he didn't even know what cooties were yet. Her hair was black, put into pony-tail, with small bangs on each side of her face. Her eyes were purple, which seemed incredibly strange at first glance, but suited her well. Like Inkei, she was average size for a six-year-old. She looked at Naruto, first examining him, but then began to talk.

"Hey. You can have that bed," she said, pointing toward the only remaining one away from the door, taking the one closest to it herself. She wasn't particularly fond of having Naruto in her troop either, but she saw no reason to be especially hard on him. After all, she thought, he's only four. For some reason she didn't even think of the fact that she was only six. Like Naruto, she simply wanted what was best for the group, and someone who was angry at the other members would definitely tie down progress.

Each child removed their packs, putting things into small dressers by their mats. Naruto only had one thing to decorate his area with, a small picture of him and his family. Getting set up didn't take too much time, so they ended up waiting in silence hoping that the fifteen minutes would end early. Inkei, on multiple occasions, tried to tell some form of joke to Gouzen, who simply grunted in response. Nobody was in the mood for conversation.

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief when an instructor, this one different from the first, entered the room. This one was a kuonichi, with short orange hair, and eyes the same color.

"Alright," she said, "I'm here to take you runts to orientation." She smiled at saying this, looking hard at Gouzen. "Let's move out!"

She led them out of the room, where they found children from the other rooms, and then took them back down to the first floor. They retraced part of the way toward the entrance, before abruptly turning onto a different hall. Naruto was doing his best to keep track of all the turns and halls in his head. He noticed that every now and then there were portraits of various people, he assumed that they were important historically. The halls were also numbered by the hundred, labeled at the start and end of each hall, though it was only a little sign hanging from the ceiling, not obvious to the children.

Naruto followed the instructor into a large room, which had basic wooden forty chairs, which were, of course, smaller than usual. An imposing man stood at the front of the room, directly in line with the aisle going up the center of the classroom. Two nondescript shinobi stood on each side of the aisle directing students to seats. Each squad of students sat in a row. Naruto went down to his seat first, followed by Sonkei, then Inkei, and Gouzen last.

Once everyone was seated the man at the front yelled out, "Sit down and shut up!" This was clearly more for effect than it was for necessity. He continued, "I am Futeki-sensei, the headmaster of the academy. I'm going to give all of you the run-down of this school as well as Shi-Rudo.

"Some of you have been told by your parents the purpose of Shi-Rudo, but most of you probably have not. I'll make this simple. Those in Shi-Rudo are the guardians of the ninja world. We end wars that get out of hand; we control the animal summonings, stopping abuse of their power; we eliminate those that become too dangerous; we store the details of every jutsu ever performed; we keep the DNA of every bloodline with a limit; we prevent the tailed demons from their path of destruction. Shi-Rudo is the absolute center of Shinobi. Without Shi-Rudo in the shadows, the whole ninja populace would collapse.

"The point of this school should now seem quite simple to you. In order to operate against so many powerful sources, the ninja of Shi-Rudo must be even more powerful. This academy will turn all of you into skilled shinobi, capable of doing things you would only pretend to do before now. Games are over though. You will study hard and work hard, there is no room for slacking or breaks.

"All of you will be given schedules of classes. The only way to advance onto the next course is to prove yourself sufficient in your current courses. There are two types of classes, individual classes and team classes. Classes that are taken as teams will have you scored based upon your teamwork and skills to work together to complete missions. If you reach a sufficient level between these two types of classes you will be moved to another squad, or in other words, you will be promoted inside of the academy. You do not leave your current living-space or squad until you have progressed enough as a ninja.

"The only days that you have free are Sundays. You are allowed to go around the campus-grounds, receive extra training, or, should you like, you are allowed to return home. Take advantage of these days and do not waste them, soon enough you will be doing real missions where you don't get any days off.

"That is all. You are dismissed."

All of the prospective ninja stood at the sound of this. The female instructor who had led them to the room led them right back out. As soon as they reached the second floor the teacher stopped. "My name is Hinote-sensei. My room," she said, pointing toward a door, "is right here. If you have any questions, come here to ask them. I expect you to knock before coming in, or you will find yourself in pain, very, very fast. I expect that all of you can find your way back to your rooms. Dismissed." Hinote, or rather Hinote Kigen, went into the room that she marked as her own.

Some of the children lingered in the hall talking, but Naruto didn't know anyone, so he did what anyone else would do in such a situation and went back to his room. The first thing that he noted was that there were papers on every bed. Picking up his own he found that the first sheet was a map of the school. The second detailed general rules that were to be followed, including the dress-code, which was a plain white Kimono. Naruto opened his dresser drawers to find several outfits matching this description, which surprisingly were fitted to his size. The third was his schedule. He scanned through it. He found that he had classes in Shinobi History, Physical Training, Team Missions, Chakra Studies, Taijutsu Training, Weapon Training, Team Strategy, and Advanced Topics.

Naruto was confused though, because he had been under the impression that Sundays were free days, in fact he had been told it several times, yet his schedule clearly displayed otherwise, saying that all time-slots were filled with Advanced Topics. Naruto turned to Sonkei, who had just entered the room, asking "Hey Sonkei, right?" She nodded. "Can I look at your schedule?"

"Hmm?" She asked.

"Your schedule, its on your bed with the other papers."

"Oh!" she said, looking at the point that he indicated. Handing it to him, she replied "Sure."

Looking at her Sonkei's schedule, then again, his concern grew. Her paper had no sign of Sunday even being mentioned. He figured it had to be a mistake; there was only one person that could clarify this for him, so he made his way to the orange-haired woman's room. He knocked, concerned for his own well-being. From the inside, a voice called out, "Come in!"

Sliding the door open, he entered the room. Art hung on the walls, which were covered in soft orange paint to match the instructor's hair. Pictures of Kigen and others, who Naruto assumed were friends, were placed throughout the room on various furniture. Scrolls littered the hardwood floor, some collected in piles, others stray. Hinote Kigen wasn't in the room, however.

"Hinote-sensei?"

"Coming."

She walked in from another room, which appeared to be a bedroom. Kigen noticed that Naruto was taking a look around the room.

"Nice, huh? We're allowed a bit more leisure for taking care of you brats. So what's the problem kid?"

Naruto held out his scheduling, gesturing for her to read. She glanced over it in a second, then looked at Naruto expectantly, as though not understanding. Though she already knew exactly what Naruto's problem was. Naruto had already figured out why, but he simply had to bring himself to ask, to set it in stone.

"I thought Sunday was a free day? None of the other students' schedules even talk about Sunday. None of them have the course Advanced Topics either. This has to be a mistake."

Kigen's face softened, she let a sigh escape her mouth. "Look kid, I'm gonna' be straight with you. There isn't any mistake. You have additional training and classes that the other brats don't. The higher-ups are going to push you to extreme limits. Expectations are incredibly high, almost insurmountable. Hell, people call me sadistic, and I wouldn't even put someone through the crap they have lined up for you. By the time you graduate you'll be some kind of ninja god. Work hard kid, or you'll disappoint a lot of people."

Her face went back to its normal, up-tight form. "Now get the crap out my room, I have shit to do!"

Naruto dashed out into the now empty hall, though he immediately slowed. Apparently, he thought, not only am I beginning at a young age, but I'm taking more classes too. Naruto was wondering just what the hell they wanted out of him. He figured that at least someone cared, whether they acted like it or not most of the time.

He returned to his room to collect the map. He had until lunch to find his classes.

If there was any creativity in Shi-Rudo, it certainly wasn't in the academy. At least that was what Naruto had figured by the end of the day.

Shinobi History was just a class about different countries and the things that went on in them. The whole point, which was explained at the start of the class, was for espionage purposes. The basic theory was that a ninja could not blend somewhere if he knew nothing about the place. Of course the teacher also announced that they would be studying relationships between countries, and what was thought to have happened versus what Shi-Rudo knew happened.

Physical Training was more of a daily workout than it was a class. Team Missions was, unsurprisingly, exactly what it sounded like. Instead of waiting to build teamwork until after graduating, students in Shi-Rudo learned to work together as a team in the academy. Naruto, as well as his group, wasn't entirely happy with this course. There was already too much of a dislike among the members.

As the instructor in Chakra Studies explained, they would learn about and how to use the energy that they had within them. Taijutsu Training was combat training through and through. In the first level of the course only standard academy taijutsu was taught, however; the reasoning was that this would be the one they would have to put on display much of the time.

In Weapon Training, Naruto and company were introduced to the various weapons that they would learn to use, namely kunai and shuriken. Team Strategy was the only other squad-oriented course that Naruto had, and was just a class that would teach the students to work as a group in battles and on missions.

The only class that Naruto had yet to go to was Advanced Topics, which had a name that was ambiguous enough to mean anything. Oddly, the class was marked as being outside the academy building. While several other courses often eventually went to the outdoors, they all began in classrooms. Since it was a night class, the fact that it was outside was even more strange.

At the time, Naruto was walking down a stone path. The sound of crickets chirping and the wind rustling permeated the air. Soft lamps lit the way, distilling the shadows like waves crashing on the shore. A booming figure stood behind a dwindling bonfire. Shade was scattered about his face, his unsettled red eyes shining in the dark.

"You're here," said the figure. He motioned his hand upwards and the fire became violent, springing to life and illuminating the area. With the light the details of the ninja became apparent. Unlike other teachers, who wore the uniform of a black kimono, the man wore black pants and a sleeveless black t-shirt. His hair, matching his clothes, was black. The most obvious thing though, was the tattoo-like seals that ran down his arms. Naruto could not even guess as to what they did.

"Sit down, Naruto." As the ninja sat on the ground, the fire was tamed, lowering with him. Naruto mimicked. The shinobi continued, "I'm Senjin. No sensei, or any of that bullshit. Sensei is only a title for those who want recognition they don't deserve. If you haven't realized this yet, you will. You can call me Senjin or asshole for all I care. All that matters is that I'm the person who has been designated to make you stronger."

"Why were you chosen to teach me then, sens—Senjin?"

"Because we're the same, kid. Of course you don't even know what makes us the same as each other, and different from everyone else. You aren't supposed to know until you're older, but fuck it. A ninja needs to know everything about their own condition in order to succeed. Withholding information can get them killed. So I'll tell you."

Naruto's face was in a questioning expression. Naruto didn't even know that he was different from everyone else, aside from being younger.

Senjin kept on going. "We're both jinchuuriki. What that means is that we both have tailed demons sealed inside of us. Inside of me is the seven-tailed wolf. Inside of you is the nine-tailed fox. Each one of the demons was incredibly powerful and dangerous. Shinobi took their power and sealed it into people. We are two of those people.

"Most places people like us are hated, despised, and cast out. Shi-Rudo is different though. Here, we are treated with respect and are trained to be far more powerful. Without training, being a jinchuuriki can ruin you, but with training you can be nearly unstoppable."

"So you're going to make me unstoppable?"

"Precisely."

The week passed soon and Saturday came quickly. Naruto was already growing more advanced, but the true test came in Taijutsu Training. Saturdays were sparring days. Even worse, sparring was done within the teams, in order for the squad to learn the others skill. Naruto's group was called to get into pairs second.

Gouzen had a choice of who his sparring partner was. He didn't want to fight Sonkei, because she was a girl, and he was above that. He didn't want to fight Inkei either; after all, Inkei was his friend. He did want to fight Naruto, the child who, in his mind, was tying down the group in team classes.

Getting into stance, Naruto calmed himself. Some of the students were already yelling out that the fight was unfair and should just be called already. They figured that the four-year-old stood no chance against the six-year-old twice his size.

Naruto, however, stayed in position, ready to fight. Gouzen, opposing him, was also in fighting stance. Looking at each of them, the instructor called out, "Begin!"

Gouzen started circling Naruto, while Naruto just rotated to keep him under his watch. Gouzen dashed forward, throwing a quick combination of hits. Naruto took one of the hits, but he got back up with a jump, observing Gouzen's every move. Once again, Gouzen lunged at Naruto, throwing series of punches and kicks. Naruto blocked or dodged every one of them, already beginning to see the patterns to Gouzen's attacks.

Gouzen, on the other hand, was simply trying to lay hits on Naruto, confident in his ability to win the fight. There was no doubt in his mind that he would destroy the younger child. With another hurtle he was once again pummeling his fists at Naruto. Naruto quickly sidestepped, pushed weight onto his left foot, and put all the force that he could muster into his right leg, which was now flying at Gouzen's stomach.

Gouzen clutched his stomach for an instant, though realized his mistake and retook stance. It had to be a fluke he decided. When he attacked Naruto again, he found that it was his face that received the blow this time. He stumbled backwards.

The group watching the fight was now silent. Even though Naruto had taken more damage from the one blow he received, it didn't look as though he was losing the fight. It was at this point that Naruto began circling Gouzen. Naruto mimicked Gouzen's style of attack, going in for quick combo hits. The difference was that Naruto was varying up his attacks, leaving no ability for prediction.

Gouzen was still repeating moves, though they were blocks rather than attacks now. Naruto was able to figure how and when Gouzen would block in relationship to how he himself moved. Naruto ducked through Gouzen's guard, managing to trip him over his foot. The beast of a boy tumbled, Naruto took no time to begin delivering blows across Gouzen's whole body.

There was no question as to who won. The instructor called the match, victory for Hogosha Naruto. People would think twice before underestimating him again.


	4. Chapter 4

**Shi-Rudo Chapter 4**

Kea and Ryoku were worried. On the first Sunday since Naruto had started school, they, along with many other parents, waited at the entrance for him to exit. However, Naruto did not come. Suspicion aroused, the married couple asked one of the Shinobi guarding the entrance if he knew anything. He explained that while students usually returned home on Sundays, they did not have to, and could, by choice, receive tutoring in subjects.

Though unsatisfied with this answer, Kea and Ryoku could take no further action. Parents were not allowed to interfere with the school.

One week, two weeks, three weeks later, still no sign of Naruto. Questions plagued the two Hogosha. Had they been good enough parents? Did Naruto love them? Had he forgotten about them? The day passed normally, but with a gloomy haze sighing over it. Kea had a simple mission to complete, while Ryoku had the day off. He chose to get some rest and recovery, though concern for Naruto glided in and out of the walls of his mind. Dinner for the two ninja was casual, which, for anyone who knew the couple, meant something was off.

Chopsticks clinked against plates and bowls. The two exchanged words of small talk, such as how the day was going. Neither pushed to the topic that was on both of their minds. They both turned at the sound of the door opening. They could not directly see the house, so they both looked across the room, where the kitchen entrance was.

Their highly trained ears picked up the footsteps. They were listening for the soft steps that belonged to their child Naruto, but these were different, more confident. Naruto walked into the room. Both parents stood up almost instantly, though there was an insignificant split second difference between them.

"Naruto!"

Kea grabbed him into a near-bear hug. Ryoku pulled Naruto against his side, ruffling his hair affectionately.

"What are you doing here? It's almost curfew."

"I got special permission to visit since I've been doing all this extra," he paused, "tutoring."

Naruto did not like lying to his parents, but telling the truth would cause them to worry, which he did not want them to do. The whole reason for his visit was to allay their concerns. Naruto continued the conversation, asking them questions about how they had been. They tried asking him about school, but Naruto gave short responses, not wanting to go into details. Kea and Ryoku, being ninja, picked up on his terseness and left that topic alone, happy enough to be able to talk with him.

Meanwhile, Hinote Kigen was banging her fists against Senjin's door.

"What?" he called out.

She entered his school apartment. "Where's Naruto? He never got back to his room."

"I dismissed him, he should have gotten back hours ago."

"Gotten back from?"

"Training. What else?"

"I don't know. But he hasn't returned."

"Are any other students missing?"

"No, why?"

"I thought maybe he along with some other kids decided to go out and do something. I certainly snuck out a few times in my days in the academy. He probably went to visit his parents, he hasn't seen them for a month."

She sat in silence. "Whatever his reasoning, this won't sit well with the administration. I feel sorry for the kid."

"Fuck the administration. They're a bunch of bastards who put people better than them through hell, and expect them to come out ok. If they break the kid, what is he good for?"

Kigen had no response.

Naruto made his way back to the academy. The trees rustled in the cool breeze of the night. The moonlight shimmered on anything that would reflect its glow. It was calm, almost entirely different than the village at day, and even further from the situation at the academy. The academy was strict, with discipline and straight shoulders at every turn. Naruto did not like the way he was being trained, but he put up with it. He understood his importance to Shi-Rudo, and indirectly to the continent of the shinobi.

There were two guards waiting at the entrance. There was a look a look of harshness in their eyes, but, even further behind that, Naruto detected pity. One of them spoke, "Follow."

Naruto found himself in a special room. It was sealed specially so that no sound would enter the room. Surrounding this room was another room that was sealed so no sound would leave it. In other words, it was the perfect place for interrogating people. Not that Naruto needed to be interrogated, it was more that he had a punishment in store for him.

A group of adults stood outside the center room, observing Naruto through the two-way mirror.

"He needs to be disciplined. He can't go thinking that he can break the rules any time he wants."

"Give him a break, all the kid did was go to see his parents. Other kids are allowed to go every Sunday, you have Naruto working every Sunday, plus extra classes with me during the week."

"Senjin, stay out of this. Just because you're a jinchuuriki too doesn't mean that you can tell us what to do for him. You and him are different, not the same person just because of one similarity."

"Me being a jinchuuriki has nothing to do with this asshole. The kid's four years old, if you push him too hard he will break. He'll be useless, and your oh-so-great plans for him will mean nothing."

"And if he's not disciplined he'll be a good-for-nothing rule breaker, so shut the hell up. Instructors don't have any say in this."

"Hmph, so now senseis have no say," Senjin muttered.

"So how far should we go with this? What do we need to do to drive the point home?"

At this time it had been the headmaster Futeki who had been speaking mostly, who was, incidentally, also the head of the research center in Shi-Rudo. This time, however, it was the interrogation instructor's turn to speak up.

"I think whipping should work."

Kigen spoke up, "Isn't that a bit extreme? I think a paddling would suffice."

Futeki replied, "Once again, instructors' opinions are of no consequence. Naruto is an odd case, as Senjin can tell you. Paddling wouldn't do anything, and even whipping won't do that much."

There was little further discussion. Walking into the center room, the interrogation specialist changed his posture from laid back to up-tight. The onlookers watched as the small boy was repeatedly whipped across the back, and as it healed over in a matter of instants. Judging by his winces every time that he was struck and his soft whimpers, it didn't make it hurt any less. Not once did he cry out though, he took the one-hundred lashes bravely. None of the watchers would call him weak.

The interrogator stepped out of the room. "He needs to be put in advanced chakra classes." Judging by the looks of misunderstanding on everyone's faces he continued, "He was pushing chakra to his back, besides the automatic Kyuubi healing; I could sense it. It seemed as though he was trying to lessen the wound or at least the pain. It didn't really work, but it shows he has some skill with chakra."

The group simply nodded, not really sure what to say at a comment like that. Especially after having seen this man just deliver a brutal punishment to a small child.

In a few days, life returned to normal for Naruto, with the exception of being moved into the next level of Chakra Studies. Naruto had no intention of leaving without permission again. It wasn't that he was scared, but that he didn't want to cause his parents trouble. Also, he had already completed his goal of assuring his parents.

The things that he was learning in his new class were incredible to him. Chakra could be used with high functionality in the brain. Reception from the nerves could be cut off, or filtered so that no pain would be felt. Other senses could be eliminated as well, for whatever situation might call for doing so. One of the most fascinating aspects was that trace amounts of chakra could be released into the air to emit emotions. High level ninja usually did this with murderous emotions to elicit fear from their enemies. However it could be used to calm people, confuse them, egg them on, or any number of other things.

Of course Naruto was also taught to reinforce parts of his body with chakra to enhance their performance. Strength and speed could be boosted to unnatural lengths. Tree-climbing and water-walking were only basic training methods that were taught, as they only focused on concentrating chakra to the legs and feet. Other techniques used chakra in the hands and fingers, others at more odd points such as the elbows or the head.

Naruto had learned all of this in only four additional months of academy training, by which time he had been promoted in all his classes. He wasn't surprised by this, as he had already mastered all that was being taught in what he was taking. He was surprised that he changing teams though. The headmaster had promised this, but he thought it would be after a few more advancements, or at least after a few more months.

He was packing what little he had, as he didn't have to move his clothes, the school took care of that. The new room was the same as the last, the only difference was the people in it. They were older for one, and instead of only one girl there were two. One had dark blue hair tied back in pony tails, with bangs coming down, lightly covering her piercing yellow eyes. The other had loose blond hair, which was ruffled and wild looking, going past the shoulders in length. This one had dark green eyes.

The blue-haired one spoke, "Hey Shinzu, looks like we got our new guy." Shinzu, the male in the room, looked up from what he was writing. He had neck length black hair which came down on each side of his face, and blue eyes to match Naruto's own. There was an authoritative air around him, and Naruto almost wondered if he was using the chakra trick that Naruto had recently learned, but Naruto could not sense any surrounding him.

The boy examined him, looking him up and down. "Welcome to the team," he announced.

"What, you're not going to give me shit for being so small?" Naruto asked.

"No, we're smart enough to know that if you're here, you've earned it. Just don't get a hot head about it, remember that we're here as well."

Naruto nodded, "Name's Naruto."

"Shinzu," he replied.

"Amai," said the blond with a wave.

Nodding her head, the blue-haired girl introduced herself, "Taira."

Winter passed quickly. The season almost seemed non-existent when he was in the school because he was locked inside the majority of the day. Spring went by just as fast, with Naruto having no time to examine its beauty. And Summer was only distinguishable by the incredible heat of training. Naruto quickly found himself back in fall, with only a few more weeks before having attended for a full year.

Senjin stood in front of him, a whole training ground around them. The land was a mix of an open field, a reasonably sized forest, and a river, which ran right at the bottom of a cliff that was across from the field. It was the ideal place for sparring, and Naruto figured that's what Senjin had in mind.

"Alright kid, your end of the year exam is coming up. You're team will be tested as a whole, though I'm sure they will find some way to challenge each individual as well. There won't be any room for teammates who can't pull their own weight.

"Of course you have advantages over the other students; if you haven't learned that by now then I don't know what you've been doing this whole year. But back to the test. You've had team missions and strategizing and whatnot, but nothing that you've had will compare to this. As well as a test, this is also a lesson. They want you to learn from this, as these will be more like the types of missions you will receive in Shi-Rudo as a full-fledged ninja.

"Due to the fact that you have no experience, I decided that we'd spend this Sunday getting you some. We're going to spar, because you need to learn to fight. You may have participated in some bullshit kiddy fights that they make you do in class, but you have no preparation for an all-out no limits fight. Sure I won't be going all out, but this will be harder than any fight that you've had before."

Naruto didn't doubt Senjin's words. The man didn't like to lose, not even for training. He was a firm believer that victory causes overconfidence, which is never good in the life of a ninja. Already Naruto could feel the artificial emotion in the air; it screamed danger. The textbook response would have been to reply with strictly confidence or simply ignore it altogether. However, that response was made for a typical ninja, which Senjin definitely was not. Naruto changed the emotion of his chakra to fear, just wanting to see the effect of his action. Senjin had a puzzled look on his face, but Naruto doubted the sincerity of it.

Naruto put his hands together to form a seal. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" (Shadow Clone Technique). Four replicas appeared around Naruto. Senjin had taught Naruto this technique as soon as he was able, as he knew that with Naruto's chakra reserves it would be the one technique that would help him the most. Naruto was going to use them properly, for gathering information.

The two, now six, fighters took stance. Senjin yelled out, "Begin!"

The Naruto clones sent flying kicks at Senjin, trying to make up for their lack of size. Senjin gracefully bowed and sidestepped the attack, taking his arm and sending a heavy punch at one of the Narutos. The doppleganger popped out of existence. He continued his spinning motion throwing a roundhouse kick at another clone. It too was destroyed in an instant.

The two remaining clones were starting to realize that using Taijutsu wasn't working for them. The jumped back, creating distance. Senjin reacted in an instant, throwing a kunai behind each clone. Carefully timed chakra triggered, changing the direction of the kunai back toward the clones. Each clone sent forth a burst of chakra from its hand, deflecting the kunai.

Each Naruto clone began making seals. "Fuuton: Daitoppa no Jutsu!" (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough Technique). "Katon: Endan no Jutsu!" (Fire Release: Fireball Technique). The two jutsu collided, sending a powerful fire and wind attacking hurtling at Senjin.

Without hesitation Senjin cried out, "Suiton: Suijinheki!" (Water Release: Water Encampment Wall).

The clones stood watching the destruction that ensued. While the wall put up a defense, it eventually crashed in a wave under the pressure. They looked expectantly, wanting to see what happened to Senjin. A kunai appeared in one clone's neck, with Senjin's hand holding it. "Always keep your focus on the enemy!"

The remaining clone knew that its life would be short lived. Naruto had figured, and therefore the clone had figured, that Senjin would at least go to a level slightly more compete-able. From the looks of it, he didn't.

The clone drew several kunai. Imbuing each with chakra, he flung them at Senjin. At first Senjin merely dodged, but, like with his own kunai, they swerved mid-flight. Senjin released chakra from his outstretched hand, creating a primitive shield in front of him. The kunai dug themselves into it, but failed to penetrate. Senjin tossed the shield away along with the kunai.

Senjin rushed at the Naruto clone, kunai in hand for finishing it. The clone rushed through hand seals, and disappeared in a swirl of air. A tree began growing out of the ground, wrapping its branches around Senjin. He instantly recognized the genjutsu: "Magen: Jubaku Satsu." (Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death).

He could not move his arms to make a seal, but that wasn't necessary. He sent a quick blip of chakra to his brain, canceling it out. The tree disappeared, but instantly an arm grabbed his foot through the below. The clone yelled, "Doton: Shinjuu Zanshu no Jutsu!" (Earth Style: Inner Decapitation Technique). The clone pulled him neck deep into the ground, appearing in front of him.

"Not bad." Senjin then released a burst of chakra, enough to rush him up from the hold of the ground. The clone was dissipated with a quick and powerful hit to the chest, but the real Naruto was already on Senjin, with a blue ball of swirling chakra in his hand.

"Rasengan!"

Senjin had to move quickly, already forming reverse-rotating chakra in his hand. Their hands collided, emitting a blindingly bright light. When it cleared, both Naruto and Senjin stood facing each other, with no damage to either. Naruto leapt back, landing in a crouch halfway up the side of the cliff.

Senjin faced him, "So you finally mastered that jutsu?"

"When you have shadow clones it makes it a lot easier."

"Nonetheless, to have mastered such a difficult A-rank jutsu at four-years-old is impressive. Not many people can vouch such a claim. In fact, as of now, only one can."

"Neh, I'm almost five," Naruto said.

Senjin smirked at his student's humor. "Nice combo by the way, but lets get back to the spar."

"Hn," Naruto nodded.

Senjin ran towards the river, standing across from it. He reached for his kunai, the ones that had explosive tags attached. He launched them at Naruto. Naruto dropped off the cliff wall, falling into the water. He appeared on the surface a few instants later, after the effects of the explosion, with a clone on each side. They each had a seal formed with their hands. In a row they said their jutsu.

"Suiton: Suikoudan no Justu!" (Water Release: Water Shark Projectile Technique).

"Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu!" (Water Release: Water Dragon Projectile Technique).

"Suiton: Daibakufu no Justu!" (Water Release: Grand Waterfall Technique).

From the first jutsu two columns of water shot out at Senjin. The second technique formed a water dragon with screaming yellow eyes, which steered itself toward Senjin with dangerous speed. And the third was the most powerful, creating a ring of water, followed by a huge blast at Senjin.

Senjin moved through hand positions with near desperation. "Doton: Duryuu Heki!" (Earth Release: Earth Style Wall). Out of his mouth shot out mud to defend against the destructive water attacks. He then quickly followed saying, "Doton no Jutsu!" (Earth Release Technique). His energy changed into the earth element, allowing him to disappear into the ground.

Naruto stood his ground on the water, constantly looking for Senjin to appear. He decided to act. He first dispelled his two clones. He was already low on his own chakra, and was being forced to use what little he could draw from the demon fox. This battle would end soon, and he knew that he wouldn't be the victor.

He jumped onto the ground, performing seals in the air. The instant he touched the ground he slammed his palm against it. "Doton: Retsudo Tenshou!" (Earth Release: Splitting Earth Force). The ground began cracking and breaking apart. If Senjin stayed in it, he would get injured by the now violent earth.

Senjin leapt up from within the ground, with a jutsu already prepared. "Katon: Housenka no Jutsu!" (Fire Release: Mythical Fire Phoenix Technique). Flames with kunai embedded in them rushed at Naruto, who managed to dodge three of the four. His speed was diminished because his chakra was out. The flame burst against his body, and the kunai pierced his clothing and skin, entering his abdomen.

"Gyyyyaaah!" The pain overcame his body in a wave, with piercingly sharp clarity of it. Naruto gritted his teeth, trying to push chakra into his brain to cut off his sense of touch, but his concentration was too low for the amount of chakra he had left. With his left hand he ripped the kunai from the burnt skin. He lied there, panting heavily, with blood pouring out.

Senjin had only one thing to say, "Shit."


	5. Chapter 5

**Shi-Rudo Chapter 5**

Naruto's stay in the Academy's medical center was no longer than a day, but it was miserable nonetheless. While the administrators of the Academy were complete hard asses, the nursing staff were the exact opposite, so when the almost-five-year-old was admitted the staff found it absolutely critically necessary that he be pampered and adored. Despite that Naruto's injury was entirely healed within hours, he had to endure countless more hours going through cheek pinching and hair ruffling and cuddle ambushes. He would have thought that the staff would be much more professional, especially after going through the Academy themselves, but what could he really expect out of them? Sure they were fully trained medical kunoichi, but, on average, they were only a decade older than Naruto and still going through puberty.

Needless to say, Naruto was glad to be done with treatment from the beautiful, luscious, and incredibly attractive nurses. He had to wonder who in their right mind could endure through that. Unfortunately, the four-year-old simply did not understand some things for his age, after all, they didn't teach about that subject for another four years, at least not typically.

With the examination coming up, Naruto spent the next few weeks in preparation for it. While there was no such thing as passing the exam per se, placement in classes for the following school year was highly based upon performance. Put simply, it was a chance for Naruto to get out of the monotonous classes that he was currently forced to take. Typically, students advanced only one level in each course per year, but with excellence in the course or in the exam, they could advance far faster. He had surpassed most of the material long ago, and using the exam as his leverage he could possibly jump over multiple levels of classes. His time with Senjin in Advanced Topics was largely responsible, in it he was already learning mastery of the topics which he had been enrolled, despite the fact that they were second-level courses. So, in Naruto's thinking, why go for a third-level, when you can simply go for fourth-level courses.

Working well with his team was just as important, if not more so. Fortunately for Naruto, he was in a team that clearly understood this. The team spent their time both in and out of classes working with each other, developing their ability to work cohesively as a unit. This training did not go on normally, but Shinzu made sure that the significance of the exam was impressed into the heads of his other teammates. They learned all of each others' strengths and weaknesses, making them able to compensate and fluidly execute any task.

Although Shinzu was naturally more dominant, Naruto was more intelligent and the group often followed his plans. Shinzu had learned to trust Naruto's judgment, and as such Amai and Taira did as well. Naruto was not really in any form of leadership position though, Shinzu still claimed that role. Naruto was fine with this because although the team trusted him, he could not expect the same level of respect that they had for each other as peers. His lack of age still formed the bottom line in his life.

The day of the exam arrived in no time, packaged, wrapped and delivered. Thirty teams of four stood in a field, awaiting directives from the senseis in charge of the exam. Faint sounds of whispers spread throughout the field as the teams communicated among themselves. The main question on their minds was why all of the teams from the first, second, and third year were present. The first year students were about ready to "shit themselves," as the slang went, the second year students fared reasonably better, and the third years were completely calm, almost jubilant from what appeared to be their fortune.

All of the whispers vanished from the air as an instructor step forward, clearing her throat and releasing a high amount of chakra with a vicious nature, which was basically her way of saying, "Shut the hell up!" With silence coming instantaneously, she began her explanation of the exam.

"There will be a total of three teams for this exam; three teams consisting of ten four-man squads. These three teams will be chosen using a point system. A third-rank team has a value of three points, a second-rank team has a value of two points, and a first-rank team has a value of one point. With ten squads from each year there are a total of sixty points, meaning twenty points in each team. With this set up no team will have a strict advantage over another.

"In order to distinguish between teams each team will be given the color red, blue, or green. In this exam there is a three-way battlefield and there can be only one victor. Each team will start with a scroll that matches their team color. The objective is to obtain all three colored scrolls. This exam is indefinite in length and will only end when all three scrolls are obtained or all of the members of both opposing teams are rendered unfit to continue.

"Right now you are all being assigned your teams." As she said this, seals began appearing on the ground surrounding students individually. The seals, which were being controlled by instructors around the area, crawled onto the students, finding their way to the students' wrists. It was there that colored metallic bands formed, indicating the team placement. Naruto noticed that his green band was completely immovable, seeming to be attached to the skin even.

The female instructor continued, answering Naruto's unasked question, "Normally, we would tell you not to tamper with these bands, but some of you are conniving enough to attempt it anyways; so, let me address this immediately, these bands cannot be tampered with, they are full-proof. With these bands, we have added special elements to the exam. First off, your wristband will glow when you are in enemy territory. If you are within the enemy territory and take damage, the temperature of the band will increase. When the wristband reaches a certain temperature, meaning you've taken a certain amount of damage, you will be summoned to the enemy's prison. The only way for you to be freed is for an ally to trigger the unlocking mechanism using their wristband. I'll let you guys figure out the implications of this. Also, the temperature only decreases when you are within your team's own territory.

"If you are knocked out or critically injured the band will transport you to the medical center and you will be immediately disqualified from further participation. However, aside from these additional utilities, the primary purpose for the bands is their tracking ability. These wristbands record your performance, and allow us, the exam administrators, to review how well you do. Due to these bands, the reports are highly detailed and accurate and we can pinpoint your actions at any given time during the exam.

"The scrolls also contain special features, which add a whole new level to the exam. At the start the scrolls are placed within a special barrier. In order for the enemy to bypass this barrier they must have five wristbands present, at which point they can remove the scrolls inside. Needless to say, this is where the scrolls are most secure. Any member from your own team can remove a scroll at any time by themselves. Victory comes by placing all three scrolls within this barrier.

"But onto these features. As well as being the objective of the exam, the scrolls are both offensive and defensive weapons. You see, team's territories are based upon forty-five distinct points throughout the map. At the start of the exam these are distributed equally, granting the same area of territory to each team as well as a few areas that have no associated points. By using your scroll on an enemy's territory point you gain control over it and the territory associated with it. In order to allow monitoring of the territory, a map is given to each team member that depicts each team's territory at the given time, as well as the location of every scroll at the given time.

"The other offensive feature is the ability to shut down an enemy's communication tower, which lies deep within the enemy's territory, in an area that cannot be captured. Defensive capabilities are the ability to re-establish communication towers—just to be fair—as well as granting the holder's wristband immunity to damage. This does not mean that the holder is immune to damage, just that their bands will not increase in temperature, so they cannot be transported to the enemy's prison. Once again, I'll leave the implications of this to you.

"Maps and communication gear are being handed out now. The exam will begin in five minutes, at which time your entire team will be transported to the location of the barrier containing your scroll." And with that the unnamed instructor finished her detailed explanation of the exam.

Following this lengthy speech there was silence, as all the students simply stood there processing the difficulty of the exam. In their minds the game was like a very complex version of "Capture the Flag," which is exactly what it was and had been modeled after. Every one of them was almost doubting whether or not this was serious, after all, how the hell could an exam like this ever end. That wasn't even getting to the fact that there were forty members in each time; they were wondering if it was even possible to coordinate between that many people, especially if certain squads tried to take unrighteous dominance over the others. With the expected length of the exam they would have to set up shifts and rotation of duties; it was like each team was a miniature hidden village.

Finally, after a minute, squads began conversing amongst themselves and looking for others with matching wristbands. The teams naturally grouped together, but there was no team-wide talking being done quite yet. Naruto was disappointed to see that Gouzen and the rest of his old squad were also in the Green team. He knew that there would be no way that Gouzen would coordinate with him, despite Naruto's higher team ranking. While Naruto was busy thinking about this and the rest of the exam, Amai nudged him with her elbow.

"Neh, Naruto, you ready for this?"

Naruto raised one eyebrow warily before responding, "Of course." Despite his acting calm and collected, he was also feeling rather nervous about the exam. He already wasn't leader of his own squad, and being only a second-year his opinion would fall to an even lower value in the eyes of the third-year students.

"This is gonna be pretty crazy," she replied, "I wasn't expecting anything like this at all. I was expecting something more like the Hidden Villages' Chuunin exams. Last year's exams were separated by level, and were essentially straight combat challenges. This year's exam just seems to out of control, like anything we do won't really have an effect because of the number of people grouped together. It almost makes all that team training we did seem useless."

"No, it definitely wasn't useless. Even still we will have to act in smaller groups apart from the whole. It takes five people to break through the barrier, meaning that there will have to be at least a squad and one other person, preferably two whole squads. With our training, when we encounter enemies our problems will not be half as great as they could have been."

"Yeah, I guess," the seven-year-old girl sounded hesitant to accept that, but since it was coming from Naruto, he was probably right. Amai knew that the kid was a genius far beyond her level and intelligence, but even still, it was his first exam ever and his first chance to truly try himself against his fellow students; the rest of her team all had gone through the previous exam and had a feel for the level of the competition, at least in their year. She continued, "So what do you think about this whole scroll thing?"

By this point Taira and Shinzu were paying attention to their conversation as well, eager to see just what was going through Naruto's mind.

"Using the scrolls is definitely the key to winning. Expanding territory increases chances of capturing the enemy scrolls and of protecting our own. Being able to take out the enemies' communications is definitely a risky move, as our scroll would have to be right by the enemy scroll barrier, but if it was pulled off it would be an almost sure capture of their scroll. In all its uses, the scroll is really a double-edged sword. I'm still not entirely sure what the overall strategy would be."

"Hnn," she acknowledged. The other two nodded.

"It's almost time for the teleportation, get ready," Shinzu added. This was followed by nods from the rest of the group.

Literally, in the blink of an eye the Green team found themselves in a completely different area. In the middle of all them was a small stone table, with three slots for scrolls. A simple green scroll rested in the middle slot. A green barrier could be seen around the table. Looking at the area itself, it was a decent sized clearing in a forested area. In fact, it seemed like the majority of the exam would take place in heavily forested geography.

It was now—now that free from the watchful eyes of other teams—that communication across squads started. Naruto did a quick check, there were only three third-year teams on his squad, and nobody knew which team had the fourth group. Though his plan would be fail if anybody looked carefully, he figured most everybody would be too stressed out from the exam to notice. He pulled his team aside,

"Alright, everybody henge into an eight-year-old version of yourself." The looks on their faces were confused, which Naruto had figured, so he kept going, "We'll use our apparent age to get more influence. Everybody follow my lead."

Naruto was taking the leadership position of his squad, if only for now. He decided that it was time to test his team's trust in him and that it was necessary that he be in lead for his persuasion to succeed. With a glance at each member and a nod in return, they all silently formed the hand seals. For most of them it was a slight growth both in their height and their girth; Naruto changed quite a bit. Part of that could be expected for aging four years, but his face was colder, more serious, and to be both respected and feared. It was at the sight of this that Shinzu, Amai, and Taira all decided to put their faith completely in Naruto, despite any reservations they previously had.

The actual third-year teams had already begun to congregate and were discussing. Naruto gave a hand signal to his team an an instant later he disappeared, appearing before the other teams. His team followed just behind. The dramatic entrance earned a quick look, but after that the speaker kept going.

"Look, what we need to do is keep our scroll here, where it's most safe. We can easily guard it without any problems if it's here. It takes five of them to get to it, which means that if they send in eight, we only have to take down four. If it's out and around it only takes one of them. It's obvious that the 'benefits' of the scroll are just to throw us off guard and trick us into using it.

"So we should set up shifts, and station everyone so that no one is concentrated enough to be hit by an area-effect jutsu. We have three shifts, each one lasting sixteen hours so that two will overlap at any given time. This means that there are always people who are somewhat fresh. Then we just wait and wear out anyone that comes in with our superior defense. After a while their troops will grow tired or be eliminated, leaving us able to strike out when they are weakened and we are still strong."

At hearing this, Naruto wanted to groan, no to scream out loud at the stupidity—especially when most everyone began to nod in agreement at hearing this. Naruto knew that the plan had its benefits, and sounded good if nothing better was coming to mind. It might be harder to persuade them than he had initially planned, additionally so because it seemed that the speaker was particularly powerful and almost the leader of all the third-years present. All the more reason for him to adopt his serious, powerful and—if only a little—murderous persona.

And so he began, "Hah!" He gave a short bark of a laugh. "Do you actually expect that cracked out plan to work?" At this point everyone's attention was on him, some with glares—notably the previous speaker. Naruto's squad was beginning to feel uneasy, but nobody would make a move because of that edge in his voice and that glint in his eye. Naruto was a dangerous wild card, and in any case, fighting amongst the most powerful in the collective team would diminish their chances at victory. Logic outweighed emotion, a common trait for those who followed the ninja path.

Continuing, "Isn't that what everybody will expect? All the other teams are probably figuring the exact same thing, and for that reason alone the plan would fail. Not to mention that this is probably similar to what the administrators are expecting of us. They assume that this test is going to be a simple comparison of what teams have better management and teamwork. But remember this: the only time a ninja is guaranteed to fail is when he does what is expected! The only way for us to succeed is to do something unexpected, and to clutch victory while the other teams are attempting to try probably the exact equivalent of what you just discussed. And that is why our plan must be something that nobody else would foresee."

He laid the bait, waiting expectantly. Surely it would come, he just knew it had to. And, much to Naruto's delight, as though nothing could possibly go better, the one to seize the seeming opportunity to wrest control was none other than the previous speaker.

Sarcastically, "So tell us: what exactly is this brilliant unexpected plan of yours? Surely if you've come here to point out the flaws of my plan, you've come with something prepared. Don't tell me that you've shown up empty handed to look like a fool." By this point there was a grin on his face, feeling that surely he had won; after all, nobody would listen to some idiot who just came bursting in with no formal plan and there was no way that he had already come up with something "brilliantly unexpected."

Naruto was dancing with glee on the inside, but his face remained ever serious and just as fierce as it had been. He spoke, responding the speaker's challenge.

"Of course I haven't come unprepared. I've already figured out our sure-fire way to win." He paused for a second, to amplify his voice loud enough for not only the third-years to hear, but everyone in the entire team. "Here is how we will win," he began, with his voice now booming, "we will strike swiftly with a full forty-man force. The other teams are currently still planning, deciding what to do. Everyone, including the proctors, anticipate this exam to last for days. What they don't realize is that it will end in hours.

"We will make use of our scroll for it's special abilities, but primarily as a distraction. On the maps only the scrolls are visible, not the troops. The enemy has to assume that the scroll is well guarded. We will take advantage of that assumption by moving in ways that are contradictory to that idea, but ultimately lead to our success anyway."

Naruto paused, if only to allow everyone to comprehend what he was going with. "Who is the fastest team here?" He questioned.

A group of third-years raised their hands with confidence; this was yet another thing gone right for Naruto, as the speaker was a member of that group. Naruto stepped over to the stone table holding the scroll, reached in, grabbing the scroll, and tossed it to the previous speaker. By making him one of the most important people to the plan, he eliminated the majority of opposition.

"You're in charge of that scroll. If any attacks come your way you should immediately fall back into a large portion of allies, at which point you can counter-attack at your will; throughout the exam I will be directing your movements.

"Now another important key to our success is the manner in which we attack. Normally when competing with allies you are expected to be slightly reserved in your attacks, not critically injuring the 'enemy.' In this exam that is not the case. When attacking aim to kill. As long as the attack is not directed at the brain your opponent will survive. Upon receiving a critical injury they are instantly given medical care, meaning that a wound that would normally be fatal can be handled with no problem. By attacking this way we will eliminate a large portion of the enemies forces. If they are expecting light, competitive battle, then they will fail.

"The proctors have given us many tools to use in this battle, but that does not stop us from creating more." Naruto took out many small-sized scrolls as he was talking, and began using a brush to paint seals on them. "What I am creating are locator seals that will appear on your maps, allowing you to identify where allies are located." He handed them off to Taira, gesturing for her to hand them out, "With these we will be able to effectively utilize strategy to the fullest, while the enemy remains in the dark."

At this point, Naruto was so thankful that Senjin had taught him the basics of seals; no other participant in the exam had that knowledge, and Naruto would be damned if he didn't take advantage of it. Already he could see the points on the map, all clustered around the location of the scroll. Naruto kept writing on scrolls, and began to explain.

"Each team will be given a number to keep track of who is where and to make commands easier to assign." With a single hand seal the scrolls rolled up into small cylinders, which he picked up, throwing them out to each team leader and holding the last for himself.

"Now, before the enemy has time to react we have to move. Squads four through ten, move along the western border—to avoid the blue team—and advance into Team Red's territory. Remember aim to kill. Team one, follow at half pace. Squads two and three, your job is to protect team one, covering both them and their rear. Move out!"

Naruto, being the leader of team ten as well as the whole of the group, signaled to his team and began rushing toward the red team's territory. Naruto's team obeyed in shocked silence; Naruto had just effectively taken control of the whole team, and with very little resistance—in fact no resistance once he began explaining his plan. Already other teams were moving, following his commands. Even those that wanted to disagree could not, because Naruto had captured the majority, and instead of just discussing among the elder teams what his plan was, he displayed his plan as _the plan_ to the younger teams. If anyone disobeyed commands they would diminish any chances of winning, and for the sake of their exam score, they could not.

Shinzu had to wonder just how everyone would react if they knew that instead of the awe-inspiring eight-year-old that Naruto appeared to be, that he was only four-years-old. He had to admit, it was a stroke of brilliance on Naruto's part to hide that one flaw. Even he, the natural leader of the group, felt himself fall under Naruto's command. Whatever this sudden change that Naruto had displayed, it showed power, dominance, and charisma.

Naruto was of course glad that he had successfully gained control, especially due to all the problems that he initially foresaw, but he knew the hardest part was yet to begin. After all, they still had to execute the plan, and the actual movements of the troops was completely up to him. Plus, Naruto had failed to mention, that after obtaining the Red Team's scroll, they would grow desperate, creating a fair amount of hindrance in their desperation; and that's forgetting that at that point the Blue Team would be especially on edge, and the additional time that they had been given would leave them more prepared to fight off the mass invasion.

In short, Naruto still had a lot of shit to worry about.

--

While the students' maps didn't show the location of all the participants, the proctors' screen did. The official exam administrator went over the map:

"Red team, all sitting in place. Blue team, all sitting in place. Green team, all sitting in—wait, what the hell is the green team doing? Why are they all rushing the red team?"

One of the proctor's in charge of monitoring the green team spoke up, "Ah they're attempting to take advantage of their opponents lack of preparation. The leader mentioned something about doing the unexpected as well. It seems they're trying to end the exam as soon as possible, before exhaustion hits."

"Who's this 'leader'? Bring him up on a screen!" she ordered.

The proctor obeyed, and hitting a few buttons a screen changed, revealing the blond leader moving through the forest. The administrator mentally went over him, figuring that he was probably eight-years-old, nearly nine; and if that was the case he was probably a third-year as well. It was time to look at his previous exam stats.

"Pull up his record on the next screen." A few more clacks followed the command.

The name, "Hogosha Naruto" stood at the top of the screen. The administrator, whose name was Akarui, quickly scanned down, immediately noticing the lack of information. "Number of jutsu: unknown; taijutsu rank: unknown; ninjutsu rank: unknown; genjutsu rank: unknown." There was absolutely no mention of previous exams, which immediately had her wondering what the hell was going on. It was only when she got to the last part that explained it: "Year: first; Class level: second; Age: four; Notes: jinchuuriki."

"Holy shit," was all she could say looking at the data. A rookie, a first-year student, had taken control of his team. Looking at the screen that showed his live movements he had to have transformed into an older-self. And never before in the exam's history had any team taken action so fast, it had always dragged on for days. Akarui just had to wonder at how well this gimmick would work.

"I want at least one screen watching Hogosha Naruto at all times for the remainder of the exam."

And now she, just like Naruto, waited to see just what this ploy would result in.

--

Naruto and his teams were already well within Red Team's border, and the scroll-bearing team, team one, was nearly within the border as well. The action was about to begin.

"The Red Team will be forced to react to our moving of the scroll, so it is time to act. Teams four through seven, break off from the group. Move two sectors east and begin deploying traps and prepare to engage high-level enemies. Remember, aim to kill. Take out any group leaders first, regardless of year, then once they are dispatched work your way down based upon level. When you engage begin communications.

"Teams one through three, begin moving at full pace and follow the main group, capturing territories along the way. There will be no enemies at your location yet, and the other teams are set to block any from arriving, so you shouldn't need to worry about engaging anyone.

"Teams eight through ten, follow my lead. We're making for their communications tower, and clearing out any forces that get in our way."

Naruto had to be careful to balance out the power properly. His team consisted of three third-year teams, four second-year teams, and three first-year teams. Though realistically Naruto's own team was at a third-year level, so the balance put one more in the number of third-years and one less in the second-year teams. Teams one through three consisted of a group from each level. Teams four through seven had two third-year teams, a second-year team, and one first-year time. Teams eight through ten had Naruto's team, plus a first year-team and one other second-year team.

The main combat group was set between teams four through seven. They were the ones who were responsible for fending off the majority of attacks. While Naruto did not like leaving so much on their plate, it was the only option that he had.

He kept pushing forward, drawing deeper into the red territory. Naruto had realized that he would not be able to constantly watch the map itself, so he had used genjutsu to permanently place it's image in his left eye. He remained entirely focused on it as he moved, watching for something to happen. And there it was! Team one captured the most southwestern territory and were already moving further north.

He knew it was coming any minute now, the Red Team was sure to react. Now instead of watching the map eagerly, he was listening to the speaker in his ear, waiting for communications to begin. A minute passed; and another.

Then the communication came through, whispering in his ear. "Four teams approaching. Two look to be third-years, and the other two are second-years. They don't seem to have noticed our presence."

Naruto responded, "They should be heading toward our scroll, and that's their objective. They are probably executing only the most basic of area scanning before moving forward. They see this as their chance to capture our scroll. You should be able to use surprise as well as the traps you've set up to make up for the slight team difference. Good luck, and quit communications until the battle ends."

Off the communicator, Naruto muttered, "And so it begins."


End file.
